Syria back at UN after 58 years: An ex-al Qaeda fighter does what Assads couldn't

One of the highlights of the second day of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting was the new Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa's brief address. This was the first time in 58 years that a Syrian president addressed the international body as the country struggles to recover from the decades of turmoil and heads towards a stable future.

What makes the latest turn of events noteworthy is the fact that less than one year ago, Ahmed al-Sharaa had a $10m bounty on his head, with the US Department of State designating him as a terrorist alongside top leaders of ISIS in Syria and other terror organisations operating around the world. Many also pointed out how a former Al-Qaeda fighter managed to put Syria back on the international stage, something that the country’s former dictatorial president, Bashar al-Assad, failed to do in over two decades.

On Wednesday, the man who was known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani took the UNGA stage with a new name and a new title, the interim President of Syria. During his address, which lasted for nine minutes, he urged the international community to lift its decades-long economic sanctions on Syria and help the country pursue justice for victims.

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Here’s what Al-Sharaa said at the UNGA

The Syrian leader started his speech by emphasising how monumental this event was for the West Asian nation. “Syria is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world,” Al-Sharaa told world leaders on Wednesday, saying his country’s story was “filled with emotions, and it mixes pain with hope”.

“The Syrian story is a story of struggle between good and evil,” he added. “For long years, we’ve suffered injustice and deprivation and oppression. Then we rose in claiming our dignity.” Back home, Syrians across the country gathered together to watch their president speak on the world stage, Al Jazeera reported.

Al-Sharaa came to power back in January after leading opposition fighters in ousting the Assad regime. With Assad fleeing the country, Al-Sharaa and his coalition of rebel groups managed to end the controversial Syrian family’s five-decade rule.

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In his Wednesday address, Al-Sharaa outlined all the steps that his interim government has taken in the past few months. These measures included establishing new institutions, planning to hold elections and encouraging foreign investment. “We call now for the complete lifting of sanctions, so that they no longer shackle the Syrian people,” he said.

It is pertient to note that the United States has already removed the Syrian armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which al-Sharaa headed, from its list of “foreign terrorist organisations” in July, reflecting a shift in policy towards post-Assad Syria.

Al-Sharaa’s stand on Israel and Ukraine

While the Syrian leader’s address was mostly focused on the future of his country, he also used the event to share his outlook towards the two major conflicts that have gripped the world: Israel’s aggression in West Asia and the Russia-Ukraine war.

• Israel and West Asia

At the UNGA meeting, Al-Sharaa condemned numerous Israeli strikes on his country since he took over in January. In his address, Al-Sharaa said that despite the reforms his government has sought to oversee, “Israeli strikes and attacks against my country continue.” “Israeli policies contradict the international supporting position for Syria,” he said, adding that it “threatens new crises and struggles in our region”.

However, he maintained that the Syrian government would remain committed to dialogue. “Israeli policies contradict the international supporting position for Syria,” he said, adding that it “threatens new crises and struggles in our region”.

When it comes to the ongoing Gaza, Al-Sharaa voiced his support for the Palestinian cause, stating Syria stood “firmly with the people of Gaza, its children and women and all peoples facing violations and aggression”. “We call for an immediate end to the war,” he told the assembly.

• Russia-Ukraine war

On the sidelines of the UNGA meet, Al-Sharaa held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Both leaders delivered highly anticipated speeches on the second day of the event. Soon after the meeting, in a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had formally restored diplomatic relations with Syria.

What makes the meeting significant is the fact that the former Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December, had been a close ally of Russia. After Russia started its invasion of Ukraine, Assad was one of the first world leaders to recognise the occupied Ukrainian land as Russian territory.

With the restoration of diplomatic ties, Al-Sharaa used the New York visit to indicate that Syria is drifting away from Russia and sympathising with the Ukrainian cause. Hence, Al-Sharaa’s participation at the UNGA not only brought Syria back to the world stage but also gave an insight into its foreign policy in the near future.